Farhat Afzal tells the fascinating story of twin brothers Manik and Ratan, the young duo have already made a name with their cartooning talent and is currently working on creating a new character for American TV show Sesame Street
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SOURAV LASKAR
Few people can find their life’s true purpose very early on in their life. Even fewer people can find a way to make a profession out of it. Cartoonists, illustrators and animators Humaun Kabir Manik and Kamruzzaman Ratan frown at the word ‘profession’. To the twins who have been aspiring artists from a very young age, drawing has always been a passion, rather than a profession.
The brothers, who go by the names Manik and Ratan, grew up with a fascination towards cartoon and drawings, so much so that they felt the urge to cover every blank space they encountered with drawings. They sent their drawings to ‘Unmad’ when they were in seventh grade, as they were huge fans of the popular cartoon magazine. The editor of the magazine, Ahsan Habib, then offered them the opportunity to draw for Unmad, which was the start of their cartoon journey. Starting on their desired career pathway at such a young age was already an impressive achievement for the talented brothers.
Soon, they began drawing for well-known daily newspapers as well, such as Prothom Alo, Bhorer Kagoj and The Daily Star.
Manik and Ratan received encouragement from their family in regards to their passion, but being a cartoonist was never considered as a serious profession at home. So they could not take up drawing as a career prospect back then. Like most traditional Bangladeshi parents, Manik and Ratan’s parents also wanted them to follow a conventional path and study engineering. Reluctantly, the brothers enrolled to study computer engineering. However, after an unsuccessful presentation where the software they made was a disaster, they demonstrated an interactive programme full of cartoons. It was so well received from their peers that they decided this was their true calling in life. So they quit engineering and changed their track again from coding to cartoons.
As their next step, they decided to get some formal training in design and drawing. So they got admitted to study in the Graphics Design and Animation programme in Shanto-Marium University of Creative Technology. When their parents saw how well the two were doing, they changed their minds. ‘Now my parents try convincing others in the family to let their children follow the path of becoming an artist or a designer,’ Ratan says.
People keep asking them what they really do for a living, because no one believes that drawing can be anything other than a side hobby. ‘This sector is huge so there are lots of opportunities available. Thanks to the Internet, the scope of finding work is not limited by borders either. The possibilities are endless,’ Manik says. From their own experience, they can affirm that one can live life comfortably just by involving themselves with drawing, illustrating and animating.
The brothers believe that a cartoonist has the scope to send important messages to masses through his/her work. More often than not, cartoonists can use satire to address important sociopolitical issues. ‘Satirical cartoons can get a point across quicker than an 800 words long article can,’ Ratan says. They think it is a cartoonist’s responsibility to use his/her talent to send important messages to public. When it comes to drawing style, Manik and Ratan firmly believe in sticking to their own personal style. They think their style has developed over the years, thanks to the new techniques they have learned. ‘It is hard to find one particular style that fits you. It is even harder to keep that style and make it evolve,’ Ratan says. As for inspiration, both brothers rely heavily on Pinterest. They are fans of movies by the Japanese animation studio, Studio Ghibli, their favourites being ‘Spirited Away’ and ‘Howl’s Moving Castle’.
They say having a twin is like being born with a ready-made best friend. It is even more astounding when both of them find a shared interest. When asked what would have happened if one brother was not as much of a cartoon fan as the other, Manik quickly says that this never even occurred to them. Perhaps it was the similar environment they were brought up in that fueled their shared interest in cartoons.
‘If we were not twins, then maybe the older brother would have had a commanding position over the younger one. It is helpful to have each other around because if one creates a design, the other can give an immediate feedback. So, improvisations happen faster,’ Manik says.
In terms of working as a duo, Manik adds, ‘It is hardly possible for both to put the exact same amount of input in all projects. Starting from story idea generation to script writing and from storyboard to animation – but we are involved with every stage of whatever project we take up’.
The twins’ proudest moment in their career was when they won the New Director’s award at AdFest 2013, one of the most celebrated and recognised regional creative festivals in Asia. In fact, they made an animated short film, titled ‘Unsolved stars’, the short won them this top honour. This was the first ever award won by a Bangladeshi at AdFest, hence it was undoubtedly a momentous occasion.
After completing their studies in 2D animation from Limkokwing University of Creative Technology, Malaysia, the brothers came back to Dhaka and decided it was time to open a studio of their own. In August 2015, they began their own startup called NerdRabbit, which focuses on animation, branding, graphic design and illustration. Thanks to their background in computer engineering, they found an interest in developing iOS applications.
In 2015, they launched two apps, ‘Bello’ and ‘The Walls’. Their biggest opportunity so far was perhaps getting the chance to create a new character for the long running American television series for children, Sesame Street. Considering how rare it is for a Bangladeshi to work for the North American television industry, this is a significant accomplishment for the brothers as well as a testament of their ingenuity. Their quirky, monochromatic doodle of ‘Drogo the dragon’ has been selected as the official character for Carrefour, a French multinational retailer, for brand endorsement purposes.
According to the duo, the Bangladeshi society does not completely disregard the profession of cartoonists, but they do not entirely accept them either. But change is happening now. Being a cartoonist should be as respected as being a doctor or an engineer, the latter two being revered professions in the traditional Bangladeshi society. If more people embrace the idea of drawing for a living, it will create a positive impact on society, the brothers believe.
When asked if they ever had any fear of failure, both brothers said no. ‘When passion becomes profession, there is no fear. There is only challenge,’ says Ratan. And they have certainly overcome many challenges to prove that no obstacle is big enough to hold back true talent.